The Island at the Edge of Night by Lucy Strange is stunning! A dark, gothic mystery set in the 1930s when science and magic collide, it pulled me under its spell. The power of nature, the strength of children and a call to courage sets it among the best books I’ve read.
Located on a remote Scottish island far in the Highlands of the north, The Island at the Edge of Night is a captivating mix of trust, truth and identity. Faye Fitzgerald has always been different – smaller than other children with unusual eyes and a deep connection to the forest, she has never fully understood herself.
When her father becomes ill and her Aunt Christina can’t cope with Faye’s wildness, she is sent away to a boarding school that is more like a prison than a home. Far away from everything she’s ever known, Faye is in exile – yet she feels a connection to “The Knife”, the only mountain on the island. It calls to her with an unexplainable longing.
There are other children at the school on Auk Island – children who have been labelled “wicked” and are said to have done terrible things. Why is Faye among them? What did she do? If only she could remember and make sense of what is happening to her.
Rebellious Boudicca Braithwaite is as powerful as her name. She defies the horrible headmaster and school matron at every turn, encouraging others to question their fate and to fight. Her uncanny knack for creating an anagram out of any name helps Faye uncover unimaginable clues to her life.
A murdered prince, a majestic stag, a tawny owl on an island with no trees and a key that will open any door lead Faye on a perilous journey across the wild and barren landscape to discover who she is and the truth about her father’s scientific discoveries. Every time I picked up this book, I didn’t want to put it down. “Just one more chapter” turned into more and more as I tried to unpick the fine line between madness and magic, between science and fantasy, between lies and the truth. I can’t say too much more without giving away the very heart of the story that Faye discovers out on the island. It is everything I love in a story and brought me so much joy as I realised where the story was heading. I will be recommending The Island on the Edge of Night far and wide to those who love the wildness of Scotland and the magic of the forest. Come back in December because I’m sure this will be on my list of 2024 books of the year!
Thank you to Chicken House books & Lorraine Keating (LollyPopPR) for this thrilling gothic mystery!
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